Stevenage MP Kevin Bonavia gives maiden Commons speech

In a speech that looked back on Stevenage’s history as a New Town and drew inspiration from Labour history, Mr Bonavia called on the government to “look back to the great reforming agendas of the Labour governments in 1945, 1964 and 1997, that built our new town, revolutionised the life prospects of a generation and transformed our public services.”

“Aspiration was their watchword and aspiration has remained the very essence of towns like Stevenage ever since.

“Now look to the present day in 2024. Let us recapture the imagination, innovation and vision that our predecessors showed and carry it forward, to transform the lives of this generation and the generations to come.”

He said that Stevenage “was, is and always will be, a town of aspiration”, and pointed to its past as the first New Town and its present as a town making “a leading contribution to health and security around the world".

Mr Bonavia’s speech came during a debate on the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill, which would see private rail franchises taken into public ownership as they expire.

Stevenage’s recently elected MP used the opportunity to express his "strong support" for the bill and point towards two campaigns he says he will work on: restoring fast trains to Knebworth station, and prioritising “accessibility” at Stevenage station, including lift access.

Another theme of Mr Bonavia’s speech was the housing crisis: “The challenge in Stevenage, as across so much of the country, is to ensure that there are homes in which people can grow up, work hard and grow old with dignity.

“It is a painful irony that the original residents of our New Town now watch as their children and grandchildren face down the lost dream of home ownership or even renting a home.

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“That’s why I’m so pleased that a priority for this Labour government is to build many more new homes to meet this housing emergency, including New Towns just like Stevenage.

“I’m looking forward to working with [Baroness Taylor of Stevenage] and others in our new government to help build the homes that Stevenage and our country so desperately need”.

Mr Bonavia stated his pride at the “legacy” of prominent Stevenage Labour women, including Baroness Taylor and former MPs Shirley Williams and Barbara Follett.

Philip Asterley Jones, Stevenage’s Labour MP from 1945 until 1950, was mentioned too, as Mr Bonavia said that he “deserves to be remembered for championing the building of Stevenage New Town despite many misgivings at the time”.

As is traditional, Mr Bonavia also thanked his immediate predecessor, Conservative MP Stephen McPartland, and joked about their “shared birthday, and height – or lack of”.

He paid tribute to Mr McPartland, and said: “When he cared deeply about a matter, he was a tenacious advocate for it, including notably being a champion of those affected by the cladding crisis following the awful Grenfell fire.”